Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Apparently, sometimes oil labeled as olive oil is actually a mix of olive oil and other cheaper (e.g., soybean) oils. E.g.:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98401360

Is there any way to know if the "olive oil" in the clear glass pour bottle at the end of the salad bar is actually 100% olive oil? How likely is it that it's actually a mix with a cheaper oil?

flag	asked Aug 28 at 2:01 Mike T 10.2k●1●11●41

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Ask them straight up. Is this 100 percent olive oil? – Dan Aug 28 at 3:32

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But given that you can buy a bottle that says "olive oil" and you don't know for sure either, you couldn't expect the restaurant to know. I mean, they could put it out in good faith as olive oil but they are probably buying a cheaper brand and it might have been mixed already. (I figure "Well, I know for sure any other salad dressing is crap oil, so I'll take my chances.) – PrairieProf Aug 28 at 13:24

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PrairieProf is right. Even if you ONLY buy olive oil with the numbered & coded stamp of purity, there is still a possibility of contamination, although with the stamping the likelihood decreases significantly. – PinkPika Aug 28 at 15:37

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Even if they think they bought 100% olive oil, chances are it is not due to wide-spread fraud in the olive oil industry. – Jay Aug 29 at 14:37

Eric · Accepted Answer · 2012-08-28 04:05:54Z UTC

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When eating out I usually pass on the olive oil and use just the vinegar....

answered Aug 28 at 4:05

Eric
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	Good suggestion. I started doing this as well. I think there was a recent study finding that nutrients from vegetables are better absorbed if eaten with fat. Luckily, most salad bars have hard boiled eggs so I just load the top with that. Should do the trick for the fat. – Mike T Sep 5 at 16:47
	it has worked well for me! Eggs are awesome as well! – Eric Sep 6 at 3:02

Matt · Answer 2 · 2012-08-28 03:20:47Z UTC

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You need one of those machines from CSI, NCIS, Bones, etc... that tells you the composition of something in exactly 2.2 seconds. That and who killed the prostitute with a heart of gold. Man, what don't those machines know?!

In reality, you'd probably need a GC/MS, pocket-sized preferrably.

answered Aug 28 at 3:20

Matt
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Or just ask them? It's free. – Dan Aug 28 at 5:02

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You can ask, and they might give you a sincere answer, and it still be artificial oil without them knowing it. – PinkPika Aug 28 at 15:35

Happy Now · Answer 3 · 2012-08-28 04:04:19Z UTC

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It is pretty likely that it is cut with something, perhaps even unbeknownst to the distributor. Counterfeit olive oil is freakishly common. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/08/13/070813fa_fact_mueller

answered Aug 28 at 4:04

Happy Now
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Yeah, I wish there was a way of knowing how pervasive this really is. – Mike T Sep 5 at 16:47

Christine M. · Answer 4 · 2012-08-28 03:29:57Z UTC

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If it's a restaurant (or grocery store) you frequent, ask what brand they use. Then research the brand to see if it's been tested for purity.

answered Aug 28 at 3:29

Christine M.
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I was thinking more for one off situations. In particular I was in an office cafeteria while traveling for work. I didn't have much confidence that the workers would know the brand... – Mike T Sep 5 at 16:48

raydawg · Answer 5 · 2012-08-28 10:08:29Z UTC

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You can always bring your own - just decant it in a smaller bottle. I do when I travel, never had problems with that.

answered Aug 28 at 10:08

raydawg
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	But then you always have to check your luggage at the airport? – Mike T Sep 5 at 16:45
	There's that rule that lets you bring upto a 3.4 ounces of liquids on the plane, no? Granted, it's not a lot, but for one meal, it's ok. tsa.gov/311/311-carry-ons.shtm – raydawg Sep 6 at 10:09
	Yeah ~3 ounces. My trips are generally 4 or 5 days long. – Mike T Sep 6 at 12:36

meta · Answer 6 · 2012-08-28 07:44:11Z UTC

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Mass spectrometer.

Can also become familiar with the smell and taste.

answered Aug 28 at 7:44

meta

I would normally agree with this, but recently read an article where the olive oil cutting (with cheaper oils and flavorings) has become so common that even "expert" tasters will guess wrong. – PinkPika Aug 28 at 15:34

Diane · Answer 7 · 2012-08-28 16:20:34Z UTC

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If at this restaurant your dinner for two didn't cost at least $200 or if you haven't seen the restaurant's employees shopping for the restaurant at the farmers market, you can assume it's not real olive oil.

answered Aug 28 at 16:20

Diane
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Really? Is that maybe a little extreme? I wish there was a definitive way to know how pervasive the problem really is. – Mike T Sep 5 at 16:49

AmandaLP · Answer 8 · 2012-08-28 20:35:24Z UTC

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Taste it. But, also know what olive oil actually tastes like. I did a herb and olive oil dip, and a friend asked if I put anything hot in it, because she was feeling the peppery bite of actual extra virgin olive oil.

If you can't taste olives, it tastes stale or overly "oily," don't eat it.

answered Aug 28 at 20:35

AmandaLP
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I'm not 100% convinced this works given all the food engineering out there. Also, you can take 100% pure olive oil and refine it further which likely removes at least some of the flavor? – Mike T Sep 5 at 16:50

Lauren · Answer 9 · 2013-02-06 18:38:43Z UTC

Pure olive oil is quite rarely sold in grocery stores. All of the large name brand olive oils are cut with something else, or else use older olives than was once traditional. If anyone is really interested in this evolution, you should read "Extra Virginity", it's a fantastic book on the subject.

August · Answer 10 · 2013-02-06 19:48:07Z UTC

I used to buy the sardines packed in olive oil, but then I heard about this problem. If the Mafia is adulterating the olive oil with cheaper oils before it even leaves Italy, then the best option is to not buy olive oil at all. So, I switched what I buy now- sardines in tomato sauce or water- and then I add fat in that I have confidence in. I think this change has led to some improvement in general.

How to know if olive oil at salad bar is actually olive oil?

10 Answers